Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: shells

(+9 insets!) (please scroll down to "Today's Pictures" for inset information) Trip Talk: Off We Go On Our Island Adventure! After chatting with the friendly fellow at the visitor's kiosk, we hopped on our bikes and took off down a trail which led to the island's popular coastal path, passing lovely forest on one side and wide open ocean views on the other. Bikes weren't allowed on the coastal trail because it can be rough in places, though we were told it wasn't enforced if we really wanted to ride. Steve and I liked the idea of hiking for some of our visit though. Looking at the map, we could see that the coastal trail met with another which led through the forest back to our bikes; at which point we could ride up and into the center of the island for a complete tour! A perfect plan! Arriving at the trailhead for our coastal trail hike, we locked our bikes up and then turned to look out towards the ocean. It wasn't so much looking as it was gawking at the sight before us. A vast tidal flat lay before us, laden with mollusk-covered boulders, rocks and seaweed. Piles of driftwood in all sizes--from small chunks to 30-foot logs--rimmed the edge of the flats in a huge jumble. Countless shells were everywhere with larger mounds settled at the base of the driftwood. We don't remember seeing anything like this before and we were suitably impressed. Taking careful footsteps through the shells, we made our way out onto the huge rock plates that formed the base of the tidal flat. Our feet sunk deeply into the slippery layer of shell-based mixture and it occurred to me that I could spend hours here just examining handfuls of shells, driftwood, seaweed and pebbles. It was nice to get out to the solid rock base where the walking was much easier. We were then stunned to see the boulders strewn everywhere, each covered by thousands of mollusks of various sizes--tiny snail-shaped periwinkles, tall, turban-shaped whelks, cone-shaped limpets, long, pointed augers and volcano-shaped barnacles a-plenty. Most were very small but there were lots of large mussels clinging together in masse too. Tiny crabs skittered about in little pools. Different varieties of seaweed lay about here and there, washed in from where they grew just off-shore. Overhead the gulls flew, calling back and forth to one another. There was a nice breeze out but not a strong wind and Steve and I had a great time wandering along, heads down and moving towards the ocean beyond. Looking up from time to time, we couldn't help noticing an enormous container ship sitting far out on the water. Staring at the immense boat reminded me that Vancouver Island and the many smaller islands dotting the area are very important for transportation of cargo and to a lesser degree, fuel too. There's a good reason why. Due to the proximity to the mainland of Canada and Washington--as well as the closest port to Japan—Vancouver Island is the perfect area for ships along their world-wide routes. Appreciating the sight, I was able to get some good zoomed-in shots with my Sony and looked forward to identifying the ship when I got home. The G2 Ocean Grouse Arrow This is a shipping vessel that travels the world with its vast capacity for cargo. Researching information for this post, I learned that the Grouse Arrow is currently located off the Kuril Islands archipelago north of Japan and south of Russia. After we saw it in August, it travelled to China where it stopped at four ports of call including Shanghai! It's now on its way to Port Mellon, an area north of Vancouver Island known for being one of the world's biggest producers of wood pulping and paper. Isn't that fascinating?! I just love being able to discover information about these globe-trotting vessels! The Mystery of the Hole-Covered Rocks As Steve and I wandered around the tidal flats, we noticed holes bored into many of the rocks and boulders but I couldn't remember how they were formed. As it turns out, the holes in these deeply-etched stones are bored by a mollusk called a Piddock or "Angel Wing" (named for the similarity when a shell is opened up completely). I remember seeing zillions of oblong shells laying everywhere, but at the time I thought they were some sort of mussel. No, they were the shells from Piddocks. These industrious bivalves grind holes into rocks by latching on with their muscular foot and slowly turning the ends of their modified shells around and around to; in time they eventually create burrows which contain their entire length. AMAZING! Interestingly, the extremely strong shells, when exposed to air and heat, become so brittle that finding complete shells is uncommon. That's the truth—I spent some time looking for complete shells and it was quite a challenge, given the piles of fragments heaped up where the tides receded. Now that I know why it makes sense that I couldn't find them easily. Today's Pictures My main picture today features one of the lovely mollusk-covered rocks with the tidal flat stretching out to the ocean beyond. In the far distance you can see the cargo container, the G2 Ocean Grouse Arrow . Insets include a pair of panoramas which show the amazing tidal flats and a marvelous row of mollusk-covered boulders. I've also included a close-up of the G2 Ocean Grouse Arrow along with pictures of one of the life-encrusted pools, an itty-bitty crab next to an open mussel shell with a tiny auger shell above it, a fun rock artwork and finally, a series of three pictures showing the rocks and boulders riddled with deep holes ground out by Piddock mollusks! Pam, I know you love the sea. This was a place you would adore. A healthy tidal area overflowing with life to appreciate was so wonderful to explore and enjoy. The views from near and far, the smell of the salt-water air, ocean birds flying overhead, it was very magical in this healing place. I thought of you often as we ambled out to the sea's edge. I hope you like this show...it's just one of many! *BIG HUGS* from southern Oregon. Explored on 1/30/20; highest placement #2.

(+5 insets) Before my husband was hired as a product photographer for a gem and beads company, he would do freelance projects that came along. He needed to have all kinds of "set dressing" available for backgrounds and interesting elements in the photos and that meant a box full of really neat junk! I would look through the various bags of stuff and imagine how much fun it would be to do macro studies of some of them. One of the bags was full of different kinds of sea shells that he picked up at a "dollar" store. A few days ago I pulled the bag out and placed all of the shells on our table so I could appreciate each of them. I wondered what their story was. Where in the world did they come from? Were they from the same beach, picked up by the same person? Or were many people involved in the gathering of these shells? I wondered if the collectors were kids or adults, and I hoped they were paid decently for collecting these shells which I was now admiring. I doubted it. I felt a bit sad as I turned the shells over in my hands, running my fingers over the rough textures on one side and the smooth surfaces on the other. How pretty they were. So many different sizes, shapes and colors…and every one was made by a sea creature to protect itself from predators. The life of a sea mollusk is so fascinating. They are one of our world's most ancient life forms. Did you know that if you visit the Grand Canyon (thanks Jaap!), you can find millions of tiny fossilized shells at the edge of the Canyon? Those prehistoric shells protected mollusks who lived on the bottom of the ocean…but millions of years ago, the ocean's floor was as high as the lip of the Grand Canyon! Sea mollusks have been around for a very, very, VERY long time! Explored on 5/13/19; highest placement #4. I finally got an excuse to take pictures of some of these shells and what fun I had! Such a cool subject to photograph. I took lots of photos and hoped that I'd get something special to share today…and it looks like I did! :) My main picture is a favorite style of mine…extremely shallow dof with just a sliver in focus while the rest of the subject drifts away into bokeh. I just love the dreamy quality of this kind of picture and when I found this image I was really happy! I also have five insets for you to see. It's a good thing I limited myself to only 15 minutes for pictures or there would have been 25 insets to share! :D Then you would all hunt me down for putting up too many insets! HA! :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy the presentation! Pam, I did a search for "shell" on your stream and I found fossilized shells! But I also found this gorgeous Three-toed Box Tortoise and the choice was an easy one! :D What a gorgeous fellow...how lucky that you found it. A turtle or tortoise is definitely on my photo bucket list, congratulations to you for ticking this off your list! I hope this day had some happy times for you my dear! *BIG HUGS* from southern Oregon! Explored on 5/14/19; highest placement #3.